My dog has gone chicken crazy!

I have a 9 - 10 yr. old female pitbull that rescued me about 7 yrs ago now. She had a rough start, was tied to a post in a puppy mill and bred constantly for the first few years.

A few chicks got out of the box on the way home and although I thought I retrieved them all one was still in the back when I left. I noticed my dog had been too quiet about an hour into the drive and found she had the escapee nuzzled into the sleeve on my jacket. The chick survived.

Since then she will not let me into the back room where the brooder is alone. If I let her she will just sit there all day. If the chicks make a bit of extra noise she bolts to the room. When we come back from a walk the first thing she does is run down to check on her charges.

It has to be frustrating for her, the brooder is too high for her to see in and I won't let her jump up. While I'm glad she is protective of the chicks I hope she calms down a bit soon.

I once had a Jack Russell who thought the cats' kittens belonged to her! She would mama cat feed them, then she would hop into the bed, clean the little ones, carry them around in her mouth - for all intents she was their mother! I'm guessing it's an overactive mama gene, especially since she was a breeding dog....

Well at least I know where my dog is at all times now. I moved a bench next to the brooder so she could see in. Now she is either sitting there watching them or laying down beside them. The weird thing is the chicks seem to gather where ever she is.

Chicks know it doesn't matter who your mother is as long as she loves you, and they know your pitbull does. I really think she has nothing but good intentions - tho doesn't realize how fragile chicks are. Maybe when they are a few weeks old, you can feel confident letting them out together (with your supervision). I think she misses being a mama.